Penn State men’s soccer (3-4-2, 0-2-1 Big Ten) beat Robert Morris (3-2-4, 1-0-2 Horizon League) 2-0 at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday night.

Both teams exchanged shots in the first half before Penn State pulled away with two goals in the last 15 minutes of the half. Penn State remained in control for the rest of the game, keeping the ball in Robert Morris’ final third for most of the half. The Nittany Lions broke their three-game winless streak.

How It Happened

Penn State started the game working its way into the final third, but failed to score. Caden Grabfelder was awarded a free kick when Robert Morris’ Victor Koah drew a yellow card. Grabfelder used the free kick to take a shot, but it was blocked by keeper Josh Lane.

Robert Morris’ Kyle Schueneman took its first shot of the game, but it flew high over the goal. The first 20 minutes of play passed with both teams only taking one shot, but the Nittany Lions were able to get three shots off in the next five minutes.

Grabfelder overshot a ball from the corner that was knocked out of bounds by Robert Morris, resulting in a second consecutive corner for Penn State. The Colonials defended well, taking the ball back on offense. The game was back and forth from there, with neither team taking a shot until Malick Daouda fired the ball off target in the 32nd minute.

With just over ten minutes left in the first half, Kai Phillip fired a shot that was deflected by the keeper straight back to his foot in front of the goal. Phillip took full advantage of the opportunity to break the scoreless tie, rocketing the ball into the net and putting the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

Soon after the goal, the Colonials gave the ball away in their own territory. Phillip passed the ball to Grabfelder in the middle, but his shot flew over the goal.

As Penn State mounted another attack, Robert Morris defender Fabian Overkamp drew a yellow card, resulting in a free kick that the Nittany Lions played perfectly. Grabfelder kicked the ball up, and it was knocked in by Ben Liscum, putting Penn State up by two in the 40th minute.

Robert Morris’ Royie Rahamim drew a yellow card in the 44th minute, resulting in another free kick. Morgan Marshall fired off one final shot as the clock ran out, and the first half ended with the Nittany Lions up 2-0.

In the first minute of the second half, Robert Morris was awarded a free kick but could not capitalize on the opportunity. Penn State followed that up with an attack of its own, keeping the ball in the Colonials’ final third for most of the next five minutes. The Nittany Lions took two shots in that time, but neither found the net.

In the 56th minute, Penn State would have another scoring opportunity, but Phillip’s shot rolled just outside of the goal. Emeric Nicol took the Colonials’ first shot of the second half soon after, just their third of the game.

The next ten minutes were a back-and-forth battle, with fouls committed by both sides, and neither team having a clear advantage. Phillip took the only shot during this time, his fifth of the game.

In the 69th minute, Robert Morris forward Kosi Udeh would take his first shot of the game, but Penn State defended well and took the ball back on offense, resulting in a pair of corners that did not yield any points for the Nittany Lions.

Following the corners, Penn State remained on the attack. Josh Lane fired off two quick shots that were knocked away. Phillip attempted an overhead kick off a deflection, resulting in a yellow card for himself as he kicked a Robert Morris player instead of the ball. Grabfelder took one final shot that was saved by Lane before the Colonials got the ball out of their own final third for more than a few seconds.

Nicol took Robert Morris’ fifth shot of the game in the 76th minute, but the action slowed down after that with neither team having a real chance to score. Daouda took his second shot of the game in the 82nd minute, but Lane made the save.

Robert Morris launched one final attack in the last minute. Udeh took his second shot of the game, which keeper Jonathan Evans saved. That was the end of the game, and as the clock ran out, Penn State took the win at home 2-0.

Takeaways

• Penn State dominated the time of possession in this game, keeping the ball in Robert Morris’ final third for a lot of the first half and most of the second. The Nittany Lions stayed in control the entire game, putting constant pressure on the Colonials’ defense.
• The Nittany Lion defense did not allow Robert Morris much of a chance to score, allowing only seven shots, none of which found the net. Penn State took 18 shots of their own, including 5 by Kai Phillip.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions go on the road to resume Big Ten play against Michigan State at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 3, at DeMartin Stadium. Fans can follow along with the action on BTN+.